Arsenal have been linked with a move for the West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
The 24-year-old England international is expected to leave West Ham at the end of the season and he wants to play for a club in the Champions league. Arsenal are at the top of the league table right now and Champions League qualification seems like a formality.
Rice has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the league and he deserves to play at a high level.
The Gunners could certainly use someone like him on their side and the West Ham midfielder would be a superb acquisition for Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Journalist Dean Jones has now revealed that the Gunners are willing to break their transfer record in order to sign the 24-year-old midfielder.
However, they are unlikely to break the British transfer record set by Chelsea when they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. Rice has a contract at West Ham until the summer of 2024 and therefore he will have just 12 months left on his deal at the end of the season.
Jones said to GiveMeSport: “I think Arsenal are definitely willing to break their own transfer record to sign Declan Rice, but I’m not sure they’re going to go above and beyond £100m and break the British record.
“I think West Ham will be hopeful that that happens. They’re hopeful that they can get £110m for Rice. I can understand why they would set their stall out at that level. I’m just not 100% sure that it’s realistic.”
It is highly unlikely that any club would pay in excess of £100 million for the midfielder.
Arsenal are undoubtedly keen on signing the England international but they might not be willing to pay over the odds for him.
West Ham will have to set a realistic asking price for any transfer to go through and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
Someone will pay the money for Rice. United wants him, Chelsea wants him, and anyone who has seen the guy play should want him. He is durable, and he racks up minutes like a robot. The only thing Rice does not do is score a lot of goals.
This season so far, 1 goal, 2 assists – 22 games, 2,000 minutes
2021/22 – 1 goal, 4 assists – 36 games, 3,100 minutes
2020/21 – 2 goals, 1 assist – 32 games, 3,200 minutes
2019/20 – 1 goal, 3 assists – 38 games, 3,400 minutes
2018/19 – 2 goals, 0 assists – 34 games, 3,000 minutes
2017/18 – 0 goals, 0 assists – 26 games, 1,400 minutes
He tackles, he brings the ball forward, he passes, and he recovers the ball, but rarely loses it. He is never hurt,. Is he worth 100 million? Yes he is. Will someone pay it? Probably. Will it be Arsenal, not if history is useful in predicting the future. Arsenal never signs the big prize in any given window. Summer ’23 there are two big prizes, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
There are 6 English teams who could realistically afford to pay 100 million in fees and another 12+ million per year in wages.
Man City, but they look like they’ll be playing defense all summer.
Chelsea, they seem to be buying everyone, why not these two?
Man U, Rice is the natural successor for Casemiro. A midfield two of Casemiro and Rice would be virtually impenetrable and offer great guile and power going forward.
Liverpool, need him the most of the clubs who can afford him
Arsenal, the money seems to be there, but the Gunners have no history of wading into a transfer war and coming out with the big prize. Most of the time, it works out for the club and it might again; but Rice is a better, more durable, slightly bettter scoring version of Thomas Partey.
Newcastle have the cash, but have been cautious about splashing it ostentatiously to date. Rice would be a statement buy and in truth Sergej Malinkvoci Savic is a better fit for Arsenal than Rice, but Newcastle are supposedly in for the Lazio player, not Rice.
Here’s a team that would comepte for titles for the next five years
Ramsdale
(Ilan Meslier)
Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko
(White, Holding, Kiwior, Tierney)
Reuben Neves, Rice
(Youri Tielemans, Jorginho)
Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli
(Marquinos, Vieira, Trossard)
Jesus
(Balogun, Nketiah)